Method of making animated motion pictures



Nov. 28, 1939. E KOSA. SR 2,181,

METHOD OF MAKING ANIMATED MOTION PICTURES Filed March 30, 1938 2Sheets-Sheet l ATTO Nov. 28, 1939. E. KosA. SR 2,131,405

METHOD OF MAKING ANIMATED MOTION PICTURES Filed March so, 1938 2 sheet-sheet 2 L INVENTOR.

Emu. Kosa, 5R.

I AT'TO EY.

Patented Nov. 28, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF MAKINGANIMATED MOTION PICTURES 3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in methods of making animatedmotion pictures.

The general object of the invention is to provide an improved method ofmaking an animated 5 motion picture wherein the animated characters havelife like actions.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method of producinganimated motion pictures wherein the animated characters are drawn on 10cells over the projected outline image of a photographed live character.

Other objects and the advantages of this invention will be apparent fromthe following description taken in connection with the accom- 15 panyingdrawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the method of photographing aliving character;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged portion of a motion picture positive film showingthe character;

go Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary portion'of the negative filmsuperimposed on the positive film shown in Fig. 2 and with the two filmssuperimposed on an unexposed film ready to be ex- P 35 Fig. 4 is afragmentary section taken through the superimposed films with a portionthereof shown as magnified;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary portion of the unexposed film of Fig. 3 afterthis film has been ex- 30 posed and finished;

Fig. 6 is a view showing one means of projecting the outline film on atransparent cell;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a plurality of cells having the animatedcharacter thereon;

Fig. 8 is a view showing one method of photographing each of the cellsshown in Fig. 7 upon a single frame of a motion picture film;

Fig. 9 is a. fragmentary portion of a negative motion picture film madeas shown in Fig. 8; and 40 Fig. 10 is a fragmentary portion of apositive motion picture film printed from the film shown in Fig. 9.

As previously stated my invention is directed to an improved method ofproducing animated 45 motion pictures wherein the animated character isdrawn on a cell on which is projected an outline of a character.

To produce an animated motion picture with my method a motion picture isfirst taken of a 50 character such as an actor l0. A motion picturecamera I2 is employed to photograph the actor l acting in front of atranslucent screen Ii which is shown as illuminated from the rear by asource of light It. This produces a nega- 56 tive motion picture film I!(see Fig. 3) havi g thereon a photographic image It of the actor I0.

A positive motion picture film H (see Fig. 2) is then printed from thenegative I5. In the positive the image l6 appears as a semi-silhouette,that is the image is usually quite dark with the details thereof showingbut faintly.

Thereafter as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the positive film I1 issuperimposed on an unexposed film l8 and the negative film i5 issuperimposed on the positive film ll. The three films l5, I1 and H! areso arranged that the film I8 is positioned with its emulsion l8 engagingthe emulsion I'I' on the positive film l1 and with the emulsion IS onthe negative film l5 remote from the emulsion H as shown, for example,by the magnified portion of Fig. 4.

The film I8 is then exposed to light passing through the films i5 and I1in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 4. The film I8 whenfinished has thereon a faint outline of the char- 2 acter l5 as shown inFig. 5.

Thereafter as shown in Fig. 6 the print film I8' is positioned in amotion picture projection machine which projects one frame at a time ofthe film l8 upon a transparent cell member 2|, as for example, through atransparent support 22 in a table member 23. An artist then draws ananimated character 24 upon the cell 2| (see Fig. '7) using the projectedoutline of the character I6 as a basis for the animated portions of thecharacter 24. Each frame of the print film is thus projected on a cell2| and the artist draws the animated character thereon thereby producinga series of the cells 2| one for each frame of the film l8.

Each of the cells 2| may be provided with gauge holes 25 which are inexactly the same relationship to the frame space 26 upon each cell andthe cells are consecutively numbered. Of course, it will be understoodthat in lieu of the gauge holes 25 other expedients may be employed tocorrectly center the cells.

Thereafter as shown in Fig. 8 the cells 2| are placed one at a time upona suitable support 21 having gauge pins 28 projecting therefrom whichare positioned in the gauge holes 25 of the cells. The cells 2| are thensuccessively photographed by a motion picture camera 29, one cell at atime, each upon a separate frame of a negative film 30 as shown in Fig.9.

From the negative film 30 a positive film 3| is printed (see Fig. 10)which when projected will produce an animated motion picture whereinactions of the animated character 24 thereon will be true to life.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that I l have provided a novelmethod of producing animated motion pictures which is simple,inexpensive and highly efiicient in result.

Having thus described my invention I claim:

1. The method of making an animated motion picture film comprisingphotographing a subject in front of a translucent screen to produce anegative film in silhouette, making a positive fllm from the negative,superimposing the positive and the negative in exact registration withthe emulsions out of engagement, exposing a film to light passingthrough the first mentioned negative and positive and developing it toproduce a film having an outline of the subject, projecting the lastmentioned fihn frame by frame onto a transparent cell and producing aseries of cells using one cell for each frame and using the outlineprojected onto the cell as a guide in drawing upon the cell, thenphotographing the cells frame by frame to secure a negative and making apositive from the negative.

2. The method of making an animated motion picture film comprisingphotographing a subject in front of a translucent screen which islighted from the rear to produce a negative film in silhouette of thesubject, making a positive film from the negative, superimposing thepositive upon the negative in exact registration and with the emulsionsout of engagement, placing a negative unexposed film with the emulsionthereon upon the superimposed first mentioned negative and positive,exposing the unexposed film to light passing through the superimposednegative and positive, and developing it to produce a film having anoutline of the subject, then projecting the last mentioned film onto atransparent cell and using the outline as a guide in drawing upon thetransparent cell, then photographing the cells frame by frame to securea negative and making a positive from the negative.

3. The method of making an animated motion flcture film comprisingmaking a series of photographs of a moving subject and thereby producinga negative film of the subject, making a positive film from the negativefilm, arranging the positive and negative films in exact registrationand with the emulsions on the negative film and positive film out ofengagement, projecting light through the superimposed negative andpositive films to produce successive projected images of an outline ofthe subject visible upon a series of. cells, employing the successivelyprojected images of the outline of the subject as guides in drawing acharacter upon the series of cells and thereafter successivelyphotographing the drawings of the character on a film.

EMIL KOSA, Se.

